My Favorite Things...Wen Hair Care!

I'm a pretty simple girl when it comes to my hair.  I don't use a lot of products and I don't take a lot of time.  It's got to be fast and yet work well at the same time!  And up until this point in my life, I've always done the shampoo and conditioner routine.  And that is, I always have to use conditioner or there is no way I'm getting a comb or brush through my hair after a shower!  There was a time about a decade or so ago, that Shampoo and Conditioner combos became popular (and I believe you can still find those).  When they first came out, I was very excited!  How great to save a step but get the benefits of both!  Well, as most found out, it's really just a shampoo.  The conditioner element was a little lacking - at least for my hair.


Enter Wen Hair Care.  I'd heard or seen an infomercial on this product awhile ago and wrote it off.  A "cleansing conditioner"?  Right.  That will never work on my hair!  But then, I started seeing it featured on QVC.  (Ok, I admit it - I have been known to watch and buy things from QVC!!)  And I heard one of their popular hosts going on and on about it.  (Ok, I know she's paid to say those things but I really believed her!).  And there were tons of customer reviews that just raved about it.  So, I decided to try it.  

Oh my goodness.  I love this stuff.  It feels like a conditioner but it does clean your hair.  And it leaves it feeling soft, strong and manageable!  I ordered the lavender (there are 4 other scents, I believe) and it smells heavenly!  It is seriously like an aromatherapy treatment every time I use it.  You can check out the Wen website for info on how to use the product in more detail, but basically you scrub it into your hair (there is no sudsing because this is NOT soap, just a mild foaming), work it through to the ends, leave it on while you do the rest of your shower washing then rinse it out.  If you want to, you can use a dime sized amount at the end (do not rinse out) as a leave-in-conditioner (which I was skeptical of too but I tried it and NO greasiness!).  And one of it's great benefits it how it protects your hair color and doesn't fade the color (that is if you do something  like that ;-)  It's a fabulous product!  

I had a few areas on my hair that had gotten fried - either from highlighting or heat products (i.e. blow dryer, straight iron) that left it dried and frizzed.  But after the first use of this product, the fried areas were gone!  Now, they do return eventually, but only after a few days and they are gone again after I 'cleanse' my hair with Wen.  I think this product coats the hair shaft and the ends so well it makes the damaged areas disappear until they get 'dirty' again.

And the other great part - if you buy this on QVC, you can buy it with auto-delivery so it automatically is shipped to you every 90 days - no worrying about running out or forgetting to order more.  Love. It.  You can also buy the cleansing conditioner and other hair products on the Wen website, but the best deals are on QVC.  

And this why, my friends, it's one of My Favorite Things!

Until next time...

Video of the Week (Week 44)

While this is kind of dorky/hokey/geeky/cheesy, I had to post in honor of Jason.  And then you'll all have this song going through your head all day!  Ha!



Until next time...

Project 365 - Days 312-318

This is such a busy time of year for us with the holiday and several family birthdays so I've fallen behind a bit.  Hopefully will catch up in the next week so stay posted!

Day 312/365 - November 7

I'm not normally a 'dress up your front door according to the season' kind of girl.  In fact, I don't think I've ever done this kind of thing.  But, I saw this easy DIY project for these gilded pumpkins and I couldn't resist.  It went a little to waste because rarely does anyone come to our front door but I liked knowing it was there ;-)  I may even try my hand at a wreath of some kind of Christmas!  I know - things are getting crazy at our house!!

Day 313/365 - November 8

Shot this while I was out working with Magic online.  Isn't she beautiful?  I've always had a soft spot for greys.  Just wait until I really get her in shape and develop some more muscle.  She'll be gorgeous!

Day 314/365 - November 9

I know everyone thinks of sunsets as being so beautiful and picture-worthy.  And they are. But boy, do we get some stunning sunrises out here!  We also have a better view of the sunrise than the sunset but this picture doesn't even capture the depth of the golds and reds contrasted with the blues of the sky high above.  Gorgeous.

Day 315/365 - November 10

This was discovered a fews days after the pumpkins were gilded.  To create said gilded pumpkins (as pictured above) I had to use metallic glaze and allow them to dry in the house.  I warned the girls over and over to "leave the pumpkins alone!" and allow them to dry, then they could touch them.  Apparently, my warnings and threats went unheeded by a certain 3-year old.  Anyone know how to remove metallic paint from leather seat cushions?

Day 316/365 - November 11

Here is Ava in her ballet classes (she's the one in the bright pink on the end).  It's hard to stand up straight when you're not as tall as the other girls but have to hike your leg up just as high on that barre!  She's doing so well though and is really developing some nice skills.

Day 317/365 - November 12

Here's Miss Ruby and her momma, Ginger (taken a few weeks ago as I needed a filler for today).  Remember when she was born just over 2 months ago?  Remember how little she was?  Well, she has certainly grown up!  She's growing like a weed and is coming along nicely.  It's kind of nice when I pull Ginger out to work with her because I work with Ruby too.  No lead rope needed for Ruby yet - she follows Ginger around as though there were one attached to her!  

Day 318/365 - November 13

The girls were playing "Hairdresser" and were taking turns doing each other's hair and the hair of their dolls.  They were actually being quite gentle with each other though I can't say their hairdos turned out so well.  ;-)

Until next time...

Wow

This changes EVERYTHING!!  Well, maybe not everything, but it changes some big stuff!  Recently, the CCAA (China Center for Adoption Affairs) released a statement that said a family could adopt two children at the same time (under the same dossier) if one was labeled or categorized as "Special Focus".  These Special Focus children are all Special Needs children though not all Special Needs children are Special Focus (does that make sense?).  I'm not sure how or why they categorize these children but it was a big step that the CCAA would allow you to adopt two children at the same time.  In some rare circumstances, they had allowed this to happen in the past but to now have an official policy on this was great news.  Now, the CCAA has subsequently made this statement as well:


Additionally, CCAA has just announced that families may adopt two children using the same dossier if at least one child is designated as “Special Focus”...  even if the family has already returned home with their first child. The application for the second child must be received less than 1 year after the first child’s adoption.


That is HUGE!  The second child still must be considered Special Focus, but to use the same dossier within a year of returning from China has several enormous benefits in my eyes.


1.  You don't have to start from scratch and create a new dossier.  This is monumental.  That dossier paperwork was going to be the death of me.  Some people get it finished in mere weeks while I took 18  months!


2.  And if you want to, you can come home, settle in, get that attachment and bonding going well then send in your application for another child within a year!


This is so exciting to see the CCAA getting proactive about their adoptions - making it easier and less time consuming to adopt!  Especially for those special needs adoptions - so wonderful!


Until next time...

Catching Up

Wow!  It's been busy!  And the holiday season is just beginning -- I'm doomed!  There are several big changes coming to this blog and I'd like to be caught up in my posts before they happen!  Until then, here is a little inspiring video to watch...


This is a horse rescue (Camelot Horse Weekly) that is run out of New Jersey.  They work hard each week to find homes for horses not sold at the local auction house, doomed to be sold to the international slaughter market.  They've been networking and doing this for about a year now and have saved every. single. horse.  Wow!  There are surprisingly a lot of beautiful, well trained horses that I've seen come through in the short time I've been watching their weekly posts.  I have a funny feeling I'll end up with a horse from Camelot at some point in my life!  Camelot also has a Facebook page if you want to "like" them and follow their work!  And what's really cool is that this week, they asked people who had rescued horses through their organization to post updated pictures...the new pictures and stories are so encouraging!  Here's the video the local news station ran earlier this week...

Until next time...

Things that make you go hmmm...

So we were picking up my in-laws from the airport a few weeks ago and on the way home, we stopped at Panera for a quick dinner.  We ordered our food and found a table.  Very soon after that, we noticed the cutest little African-American boy, probably just about a year old, who was sitting nearby with his Daddy and Mommy.  We noticed him because he had the CUTEST laugh - he was entertaining the whole restaurant with his giggles!  My 'adoption' radar also perked because his Mommy and Daddy were white.  You could tell he was bonded with this couple as he was yelling out "Mommy!" to his Mom across the restaurant at the drink station.  He was a little uncomfortable with her across the room and not right next to him.


I got up a little bit later to refill my drink and while I was gone, Ava had a short conversation with my mother-in-law that she relayed to me later.  Ava made a comment about how that little boy didn't "match" his parents and maybe they were watching a friends' baby.  


Huh?  What?


This comment bothered me for a few reasons.  


First of all, DUH, why isn't her first reaction to think that the boy was adopted?  I mean obviously she's living out the miracle of adoption in her life...but, perhaps in her then 7-year-old brain, adoptions only happen in China.  And since the boy was not Chinese...


But secondly, I'm wondering why she made that comment since Jason and I don't "match" Amelia?  I know she sees Amelia as looking different than us because when she draws pictures of our family, she draws Amelia with a little bit darker skin than us.  (Yes, my Chinese daughter has almost olive skin - not the pale pale skin we typically think of.  You should see how quickly and beautifully her skin tans in the summer!  And no burning!)


In the end, I've decided not to freak out about what Ava said as I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, how deeply she loves and treasures her sister.  It continues to amaze me.  Just this last Sunday, at our church's Thanksgathering we participated in at another member's home, when asked what she was most thankful for, Ava responded, "my sister!"


I could worry and fret and extrapolate all kinds of sinister meanings and conclusions about how Ava sees adoption and other ethnicities.  But instead, I've decided to chalk it up to an off-hand comment she made and discuss different kinds of adoptions with her in the near future.  Because really, in the end, while Ava's eyes and mind see that Amelia looks 'different' than Jason or I, I think her heart doesn't see any differences at all - she just sees her sister.

Until next time...